oh my god, is there no sense of taste or decency amongst the visitors to this village of peddlers?? or maybe its the village of the damned peddlers? or maybe i have just watched to many old hammer horror films...

Take solace in knowing ALOT of people are amazed and impressed by your work. I can't tell you how many people have looked over my shoulder at work while I was admiring your projects and have been in awe.

UGH! Im sorry! Scarecrows are meant to be scary, not stupidly cute. I know some people like cute, but it seems every year the cutest stupidest scarecrow wins. I would be honored to have the best scarecrow ever made in my yard - and thats yours!

You really need to find a better scarecrow competition. This is rubbish. I'm not really surprized the cowboy won, it was inevitable. But that egyptian one... Ick. Unbelievable. Yours was MUCH MUCH betterthan the rest. Next time, you should make something horredously horrific and cotroversial. Like disemboweled corn with victims. Gagged, of course. That'll teach them.

It figures. We do have to take into account who is voting for these. I'm sure there isn't a huge contingent haunters in the voting pool. Great job nonetheless Rot. I'll be going to check out my local scarecrow contest to find out how to get in on next year and check out the competition.

this is ridiculous...this is definitely NOT the right venue for you to be exhibiting in (or exerting your efforts for). this just proves what I said earlier...the majority of the public has no artistic sensibilities whatsoever! your 'honorable mention' also reflects the general trend of Halloween--cutsie and safe with glitter decorations. at any rate, rot, I think I can safely say that all of us (your followers) adore your work. you are an innovator and a gifted artist and your imagination knows no bounds. I'm honored to own some of your work!

That's it...next year make Seeds ride a big black cat with large spooky green eyes. Make Seeds and the cat pull a cart consisting of a huge hollowed out JOL containing that orange and black wax wrapped candy...

You should make one so offensive and frightening next year -- your goal is to make all the old ladies run shrieking with fear and terror from something that is "almost too good" -- and set up a cam to watch their horrified, and disgusted reactions -- that will be the first place prize.

Sometimes there's no pleasing certain crowds, but I have always been impressed by your continued decision to show up year after year, despite the idiots on the panel. That's takes a lot of guts (and not just the slimy rotted kind, either).

I'm with Noah on this one! Your work has been an inspiration to so many halloween fans! You are planting "seeds" that are actually having am impact on the art in people's yard haunts! I don't think the winners of that contest are having an impact on anything. You know you are a genius! You don't need validation from those "pod people". Loved your theory on probable winners. Thanks for making me laugh! Keep going, Rot!

Ok so are the judges like "slow" children or adults with Fragile X syndrome? I mean seriously, only small, easily distracted juveniles could POSSIBLY find those other "creations" in bubblegum, saccharine, smut better than your art. It's a SCAREcrow contest, not a Happy Sparkly Rainbowtime-crow contest. Its blasphemy! Rot, how have you not used gas filled pumpkins to burn their houses down with?!? I would help!!! And I'm sure I'm not alone in that matter. You said it almost right, your work IS too good. And in my opinion, their brain function is too small.

I can't believe you put yourself through this every year. Each year you make an unbelievable scarecrow and every year they pick the goofiest childlike scarecrows. It's depressing. The fact they cannot see the artistic attention to detail in your sculptures..whether they like the subject matter or not. Your's is always a zillion times better than your closest competitor.

No, seriously...how did #2 win? It doesn't even remotely fit with the other 2, so I don't get the judging criteria. Do they want cutesy? Check with winners 1 and 3. Do they want uncomfortably unintelligible and potentially offensive? Check with 2nd place.

Number 2 is really a mystery. I mean, I sound like sour grapes and a sore loser, but I'm so used to losing that it really doesn't phase me now.

The viewing public votes and I really just don't see small children and families voting for that Egyptian. So my guess is that they had a ton of friends and family come up and drop votes in the ballot boxes. Stuffing, if you will.

And I MUST stress that I am not trashing the builder of that scarecrow. I'm really just being objective here - based on my years of experience,cutesy things and eggs and snoopies and elmo's win - not modern day Egyptians. Had it been an Egyptian *mummy*...with a huge smiling face, that's a different story.

Evidently, you have a bunch of namby pamby PTA types in your community. It would be nice if you could start your own contest, but it looks like you would be the only one entering your own contest. We need to start an annual Scarecrow contest in the Halloween community. Kind of a combination of the Davis Spiderfest and Mad Lab contest.

I'm ringing in late on this one - had to calm down a bit first. OK, I can understand the attraction of a photo-op scarecrow (#3), but #2 just baffles me. I'm trying to find the connection - did Moses lead the crows out of the cornfield or something like that? And the #1 entry wouldn't scare a sparrow.Great work on this years entry, Rot. Maybe someday true talent will win over fluffy mediocrity.

It's like what's been said before... If you ever win THAT contest, you've probably lost your touch. Keep up the awesome work! I'd be tempted to release my emotions in next years scarecrow, and show them how I really feel about their contest! I like it that you keep entering year after year even after seeing those "winners". Good job!

I was out to Frenchtown this morning and was reading the Bucks County Herald. They ran an article on the entrants and I saw Seeds was in the Traditional/Whirligig category. I didn't realize Seeds moved. ;>